Overview
The MA in Journalism is a practice-based course providing vital skills for the rapidly evolving world of online news, which blends with other domains through social media. This "digital first" programme is designed to give students fluency in online, print and broadcast channels using the latest techniques and software, while not stinting on traditional interviewing and newswriting training.
Professional ethics and legal awareness are woven into the course, which requires students to reflect critically on journalistic practice throughout. The research methods module deepens understanding of information gathering as well as introducing methods for business and academic analysis of media. Graduates will be prepared for entry-level newsroom jobs, freelance work, or starting up their own journalistic ventures.
The Digital Freelancing and Features module will be offered in Spring 2013 with a focus on arts writing and can be taken standalone or applied to the MA degree. The full programme is now recruiting for Autumn 2013. Contact the course leader for more information.
Studies can be undertaken full-time or part-time. For the MA, students who are not already working in journalistic jobs should expect to spend up to two days a week in work placement, permitting them to start building a portfolio immediately. Placements can be arranged at local media or in London (less than 90 minutes away by rail).
The course is designed to be compatible with NCTJ accreditation. Lecturer experience includes running the BBC online newsroom, writing financial news as a foreign correspondent for the Bloomberg wire service, editing daily newspapers in Suffolk, subbing at national newspapers in London, reporting for technology and education magazines in New York City, and photo editing for the Guardian.
UCS was founded by the University of East Anglia and the University of Essex in 2007. The course leverages existing strengths in film, art and design, photography, discourse studies and local history on the main campus on the Ipswich waterfront. We aim to build a diverse network of journalists and students are encouraged to develop their own specialties. Applications are welcomed from candidates with experience in other fields, members of communities that are underserved in the media, and international students.
Standard UCS fees| for postgraduate degree programmes and individual modules apply. Grant sources include Masters Scholarships for UCS graduates| and Postgraduate Solutions study bursaries|.
For more information, contact us at journalismucs.ac.uk| or call +44 (0) 1473 338 182 to speak to the course director, Dr. Diana ben-Aaron.
Content and Modules
The programme consists of seven modules, all of them mandatory:
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Reporting
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Editorial Production I: Print and Online
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Research Methods
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Media, Law and Public Administration
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Editorial Production II: Broadcast
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Digital Freelancing and Features
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Dissertation
Modules one to three are offered in the first semester and modules four to six in the second semester.The course can be completed in two years by for example taking modules one, two and five in the first year and modules three, four and six in the second year. The dissertation is written over the summer after all the other courses have been completed.
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Stage 1
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Module 1:
REPORTING
20 credits
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Module 2:
EDITORIAL PRODUCTION I: PRINT AND ONLINE
20 credits
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Module 3:
RESEARCH METHODS
20 credits
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Stage 2
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Module 4:
MEDIA LAW, ETHICS AND PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION
20 Credits
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Module 5:
EDITORIAL PRODUCTION II:
BROADCAST AND INTEGRATED
20 credits
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Module 6:
DIGITAL FREELANCING AND FEATURES
20 credits
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Stage 3
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Module 7:
DISSERTATION
60 Credits
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The programme is designed to provide stepping-off points at 60 credits for a Postgraduate Certificate (all of stage 1, or modules 1, 2 and 5) and 120 credits for a Postgraduate Diploma (all stage 1 and 2 modules). The PGDip is also a self-contained programme for which students may apply separately.
The course is intensively taught, with an emphasis on small-group workshops for teaching, individual tutorials for feedback, and coursework portfolios for assessment. A significant exception is the Media, Law, and Public Administration course, which will be assessed largely based on examinations. Work experience is a crucial part of the course and is expected to occupy at least one day a week as well as winter and spring vacations.
The virtual learning environment will be intensively used for distributing course materials and giving feedback, but it is essential that students be present for class meetings and tutorials and participate in building the learning community for this exciting new programme.
Further Information
Work placement
The course was created following widespread consultation in the UK news media and is based on extensive industry and journalism education experience. Organizations committed to working with us through student placements and associated bursaries include:
Reading and resources
The following books and blog links should give an idea of the course concerns or otherwise help you explore your interest in journalism:
Students will have access to LexisNexis and the complete online, software, and library resources of the university system.